A longitudinal study that compared young adult binge drinkers with age-matched non-drinking controls showed progressive cerebral dysfunction without marked behavioral deficits (Maurage et al., 2009). The baseline assessments showed no differences; however after 9 months, the binge drinkers had significantly delayed latencies for all ERP components (P1, N2, P3b) of emotional auditory processing, reflecting impairments in perceptive as well as decisional processes. However, a more recent visual oddball study reported an opposite result of increased P3b amplitudes in binge drinkers when compared to controls (Crego et al., 2012); participants included only those without a personal or family history of alcoholism, unlike the previously described Ehlers et al. study (2007), which may indicate a differential vulnerability in those with and without family history.
